The ever elusive soft skills! Always front of mind for managers and HR professionals – especially those who work with a new generation of professionals! Don’t we all want staff with the ability to get along with others, sell ideas, manage time, bring a project in under budget and create an enjoyable workplace environment?? So how can you as a manager or supervisor help further develop your intern’s soft skills?

Here are a few handy hints to support interns with essential soft skills:

The first step is to get to know them

Recognising and understanding other personality types and how to interact and communicate with them

Recognising the value of various roles within teams

Be willing to receive and provide feedback

Sense of fun – be able to laugh and contribute positively to the workplace culture

Productive and commercially aware – costs + time

Recognise that the workplace dictates the culture not the individual student/staff

Are soft skills more important over the long term than occupational skills?

Research shows that, while credentialing in the form of degrees and certificates is important, development of soft skills—skills that are more social than technical—will be a crucial part of fostering a dynamic workforce.

Soft Skills essentials for the current workplace include

Strong Work Ethic

Positive Attitude

Good Communication Skills

Time Management Abilities

Problem-Solving Skills

Acting as a Team Player

Self-Confidence

Ability to Accept and Learn From Criticism

Flexibility/Adaptability

Working Well Under Pressure

Bespoke Medical Innovations Pty Ltd is an Australian based medical innovation company specialising in 'bespoke' or 'custom' solutions within the medical field. They use state of the art technologies that include 3D imaging and 3D printing, simulation technology, laser scanning, cloud computing, and custom-moulding techniques. These modern techniques coupled with numerous longstanding relationships with many of Australia’s leading orthopaedic surgeons, general practitioners, design engineers and passionate inventors provide the platform for Bespoke to operate in this dynamic and fast-paced entrepreneurial environment that has the ability to change people’s lives for the better.

“The main attraction for us in dealing with Australian Internship was that we were able to get high calibre interns for extended periods of time. This meant that our training and guidance could generate tangible outcomes for both the business and the interns. As a business we were able to reap some benefits on R&D projects that whilst not on the critical pathway were very important on process flow improvement. The use of interns helped us prove out some of the theory’s we were looking at but just did not have the people power to prove. As a smaller start up, having two dedicated, eager resources to help out was great.”

What is the best thing about having international interns at your organisation?In any business, having a difference in your team is an advantage. With having fresh sets of eyes looking at problems, with up to date skills has given us a definite advantage in problem solving. We have found that because the interns had not been pre-programmed by another business model they were able to give a truly unbiased view to how to approach problems.

Do you have any funny stories about an intern you’ve hosted, or an exceptional intern that you’d like to tell us about?Like all younger people, they believe they are invincible. In the R&D field, this is an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is that they are willing to try anything; the disadvantage is they do try anything. Sometimes they need a little guidance in order to help protect themselves from themselves, whilst at the same time encouraging them to try the new things.

What do you like about having Australian Internships providing and supporting your interns?The team at Australian Internships are very professional and the entire process was seamless from start to finish. Once our Interns landed all we as a business needed to worry about was guiding them into the areas they wanted to work. For the very small cost of the work equipment we received an FTE for the internship period.

Australian Internships is proud to have been selected by The Palladium Group/Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the Australia Awards Africa project.

Australia Awards Africa is a DFAT funded pan-African scholarships program where up to 200 Masters students from all African countries are brought to Australia each year to begin a Master’s degree and an internship program. Several students are studying postgraduate courses in the extractives sector, particularly at institutions in Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. This ground breaking government project is designed for African students who are currently studying in Australia in Engineering and Agriculture - 10 of the best students (out of 200) around Australia have been selected for this internship.

Environmental Engineering / Science Interns

We have 5 students currently completing a Masters qualification in Environment, Environmental Science, Geoscience, Science and Mineral Resources looking applying their knowledge and grow their sector networks/industry linkages within the industry. All with relevant undergraduate studies and eager to further develop their technical experience from Australia.

Agriculture Interns

These students are currently completing a Masters qualification in Agricultural Science and Agribusiness. All with outstanding relevant undergraduate studies and a willingness to gain technical experience from Australia.

CONTACT US TODAY to learn more about these interns and to avoid missing out on this fantastic opportunity! If you are interested in one of the outstanding participants of this program, reach out to Australian Internships to register your interest and review candidate profiles. Get in quick – these super stars will be snapped up fast!

Tourism investment pipeline booms in 2016 compared to previous year

Strong growth in aviation projects, particularly new aircraft orders, has helped Australia’s tourism investment pipeline rocket to $59.8 billion (up $6.5 billion) for the year ending 2015. Tourism Investment Monitor 2016, released this month by Tourism Research Australia (TRA), reports that “continued investor appetite for Australian tourism infrastructure investment projects is supporting the current strength of the pipeline”. Demand for tourism services is also going from strength to strength, further increasing the importance of the industry to Australia’s economy. The pipeline held 173 projects, up by a net 6 projects and worth an extra $6.5 billion, compared to 2014.

Aviation projects accounted for the majority of the pipeline at $37.6 billion. Fifteen new projects valued at $1.6 billion entered the pipeline including Accommodation projects were valued at $7.6 billion, potentially providing 15,900 new rooms to accommodation supply. In addition to the $59.8 billion pipeline, the continuing shift towards mixed-use developments contributed an additional $35.1 billion in investment, and will potentially create around 24,000 new rooms.

Increased investment activity also continues across regional areas, with 32 projects valued at $2.8 billion occurring outside capital cities or the Gold Coast. These projects include regional airport developments which will help improve access to regional areas as well as disperse visitors beyond the major gateways, and arts, recreation and business services infrastructure projects, which can promote visitation, as well as encourage longer stays and repeat visits.

SYDNEY – NIGHT NOODLE MARKET

October is Good Food Month in Sydney and this means the Night Noodle Market is back! This year is expected to be bigger than ever with over 40 food stalls and nightly entertainment. Entry to the market is free and it is running from Thursday 06 October to Sunday 23 October, so make sure you head to Hyde Park North to see what this market is all about.

MELBOURNE – DISCOVER SAILING DAY

Ever wanted to give sailing a try? Well now’s your chance! On Sunday the 16th of October, head to Melbourne City Marina to get on board a Trailable Yacht with an experienced sailor for free! This event is running from 12 – 5pm and you’ll need to register.

BRISBANE – MEDIBANK FEEL GOOD PROGRAM

Head to the South Bank Parklands all month long for free fitness classes! Classes including yoga, pilates, Zumba, and more are designed to suit all fitness levels and there are classes offered Mondays-Thursdays and Saturdays. No bookings are required, just show up and get active! It is suggested that participants bring a water bottle and towel or yoga mat.

CANBERRA – THE CANBERRA HIGHLAND GATHERING & SCOTTISH FAIR

Kick off the Spring with the Canberra Highland Gathering and Scottish Fair for an afternoon full of bagpipes, drums, highland dancing, and more! Attendees can enjoy Scottish athletic events, craft stalls and much more! This fair has something for everyone and entry is free! This event will be at the Kambah Oval on Kett Street from 10am – 5pm on Saturday the 8th of October.